Single-world theory of the extended Wigner's friend experiment

DOI10.1007/S10701-017-0082-7zbMATH Open1370.81009arXiv1608.05873OpenAlexW3099389578WikidataQ56112337 ScholiaQ56112337MaRDI QIDQ2014304FDOQ2014304

Anthony Sudbery

Publication date: 11 August 2017

Published in: Foundations of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Frauchiger and Renner have recently claimed to prove that "Single-world interpretations of quantum theory cannot be self-consistent". This is contradicted by a construction due to Bell, inspired by Bohmian mechanics, which shows that any quantum system can be modelled in such a way that there is only one "world" at any time, but the predictions of quantum theory are reproduced. This Bell-Bohmian theory is applied to the experiment proposed by Frauchiger and Renner, and their argument is critically examined. It is concluded that it is their version of "standard quantum theory", incorporating state vector collapse upon measurement, that is not self-consistent.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1608.05873

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zbMATH Keywords

quantum theoryWigner's friendsingle world

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15) Quantum coherence, entanglement, quantum correlations (81P40) Alternative quantum mechanics (including hidden variables, etc.) (81Q65)

Cites Work

• Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics
• Bohmian Mechanics
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• This damned quantum jumping

Cited In (10)

• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Relational analysis of the Frauchiger-Renner paradox and interaction-free detection of records from the past
• Histories without collapse
• A logico-epistemic investigation of Frauchiger and Renner's paradox
• When Greenberger, Horne and Zeilinger meet Wigner's friend
• The Frauchiger-Renner argument: a new no-go result?
• Wigner's convoluted friends
• What's left for the neo-Copenhagen theorist
• John Bell and the Great Enterprise
• Unitary-only quantum theory cannot consistently describe the use of itself: on the Frauchiger-Renner paradox

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